Gadget Recycling

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Author: Cat

It’s no secret that Apple has been exploring the possibility of breaking into the car industry with an electric car, but until now details have been fairly few and far between. However, a newly released report from the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the company has committed to the project and announced a projected release date for the car of 2019.

In a sudden surge of activity, the existing team of 600 working on ‘Project Titan’ has reportedly been tripled, with experts from the automotive industry having been brought on board in recent months.

With the release date being much sooner than expected, the report quashes rumours that the first ‘Apple Car’, as it’s being referred to by all but Apple, will be an autonomous vehicle. However, the fact that company has employed experts involved with self-driving cars strongly suggests that this is the direction the company intends the project to take.

It may be a bit of a departure from its usual direction, but Apple is certain to apply the same flair and expertise to Project Titan as it does to everything else it creates, and tech and automobile enthusiasts alike will be waiting with bated breath to see what it delivers in four years’ time.

September 9 was the date etched in the mind of Apple enthusiasts the world over as the unveiling of the latest batch of Apple products, and once again the company has come up with the goods.

At yesterday’s event in San Francisco Tim Cook announced two new iPhones, a supersized iPad, and a new version of Apple TV.

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

While the latest incarnations of the iPhone don’t differ hugely from their predecessors, there are several notable upgrades. The most significant new feature is 3D touch, a new pressure sensitive screen, which can distinguish between gentle and firm touches, allowing users to switch between apps more easily.

The new handsets also feature new iSight cameras with 12 megapixels (50% more than before) that can film 4K video, and a 5 megapixel front camera for high quality selfies and FaceTime calls.

There’s also a new Rose Gold version to add to the collection.

iPad Pro

After a decline in iPad sales, which can perhaps be attributed to arrival of larger phones such as the iPhone 6 Plus, which isn’t much smaller than the iPad Mini, Apple has decided to create a larger, more powerful tablet, called the iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro has a 12.9 inch screen, and its width is the same as the height of the iPad Air. It is 6.9mm thick, weighs 1.57lb and its screen is 2732×2048 pixels. It has an A9X chip, which makes it 1.8 times faster than the iPad Air 2, with a processing power similar to the majority of portable PCs on the market.

To accompany the iPad Pro, the company also unveiled a stylus, called the Apple Pencil, which has sensors that make it feel like using a real pencil on paper. They also announced a magnetically connected keyboard cover, similar to that for the Microsoft Surface tablet.

Apple TV

The company also announced a new improved version of Apple TV with a new operating system and its own app store. Siri has also been incorporated into the new set-up and there is a remote control with microphone, which allows users to ask the virtual assistant to execute different functions. The remote also has a touch sensitive panel for ease of operation.

Apple Music has been added to Apple TV, and there will be an increasing number of console games added to the OS in the coming months.

Haribo, Percy Pigs, Gummy Bears… who doesn’t love a gummy sweet?! And while there may already be a massive variety to choose from, it’s now possible to design and make your very own using a 3D printer!

German confectionary company, Katjes has installed a 3D printer for gummy sweets, called the Magic Candy Factory at the Café Grün-Ohr in Berlin, which it claims is the first 3D printer for food available to the public.

Customers can currently choose from a range of different animal shapes or lettering, and can tailor their design using a combination of ten different flavours and seven colours. However, the company plans to introduce even more shapes and flavours in the near future.

Once the individual has entered their specifications using an iPad based user interface, the machine sets about printing their bespoke creation using heated candy, which cools and hardens as additional layers are added. Each 10g sweet takes around 5 minutes to print and costs 5 euros (£3.70). It may seem like a lot for a sweet, but it definitely gets you a whole lot of novelty value!

While the exact ingredients are confidential, the sweets are predominantly made from pectin, sugar and fruit extracts, reportedly containing almost no allergens whatsoever. They are also lactose, gluten and gelatin free, making them suitable for vegans.

What do you think of the Magic Candy Factory? Would you eat a 3D printed sweet?

Last week when Samsung launched its two new phones, the Galaxy S6 Edge + and Galaxy Note 5, it also got the tech world excited by showing a short teaser video of its eagerly anticipated new smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S2.

To build even more hype for the new smartwatch ahead of its official launch in early September, the company has just released the teaser on You Tube for the whole world to get excited about the device that’s set to rival the Apple Watch.

With its stylish design, round face and apparently smaller size, the Samsung Gear S2 looks nothing like its bulky predecessor, the Samsung Gear S, and is arguably even better looking than the Apple Watch.

While we’ll have to wait until September for the full specs, the video does hint at some of its functions including heart rate sensor, sport tracking, stopwatch, weather and time zone apps.

The video confirms that the Gear S2 will be announced on September 3 at the IFA in Berlin, and we’ll certainly be tuning in then to find out more.

What are your first impressions of the Samsung Gear S2? Do you think it’ll be a match for the Apple Watch.

Like the Note 4, the Note 5 still comes with an S-pen stylus, but its predecessor’s plastic frame has been replaced by metal and glass, in keeping with the Galaxy S6 Edge.

Measuring 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm and weighing 153g, the Galaxy S6 Edge is effectively a larger version of the S6 Edge, released earlier in the year, and retains the same curved sides. It has the same Exynos 7420 octa-core processor but boasts 4GB of RAM instead of 3GB and comes with either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. However, there is no micro SD card slot and the 3,000 mAh battery is non-removable.

The Note 5 shares the same specs, and both have a16 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera, and fingerprint sensor for security and use with Samsung Pay, which was also announced at the event.

There’s also a keyboard attachment for both handsets, for those who prefer physical keys as opposed to touchscreen.

UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, but the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is expected to arrive on our shores on 4 September. However, there are currently no plans to release Note 5 in Europe.